Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 24

Severance wanted to throttle Ironhide. The tank had lost his mind.

His instincts cried, and he ducked before he even knew why. A wooden spear whistled overhead. The thing that threw looked like a naked monkey wearing a tattered loincloth. Naked, because it had no fur save for a thin strip across the crest of its head. The pale letters over its head declared it was a grimli, but to Severance it was a stupid monkey.

It chattered angrily and flung itself at Severance. He backpedaled several steps, jaw clenched in irritation. The monkey pounced on the floor just in front of him, then sprang up at his face in the next instant.

Not even Severance's improved agility could save him. The beast crashed into his chest and they went down in a flurry of limbs and screeching.

Stubby fingers grabbed his face, nails digging in hard enough to draw blood, then yanked. His head was lifted off the floor before the monkey smashed it back down. Red flooded Severance's vision while distantly, he heard something crack.

How is this easy?! Severance reached up and vainly tried to push the beast away from him. It didn't budge. Instead, it smashed his head into the floor again.

Just dodge stuff and heal, is what he said. Let the others take care of the mechanics, he said. It's a straightforward and easy fight, he said!

Ironhide, Severance decided right then and there, was a big fat liar. One could not just "dodge" insane monkeys—not when they had a tendency to come after you with all the ferocity of a starving bear.

His head hit the ground a third time, and his vision began to darken. Dimly, he was aware of his health flashing orange. And his wasn't the only one.

Ironhide's was orange, Valentin's was fine, Atrocity's was fine and oh... Awesome Dude was almost dead. How did that happen?

Snow swirled before him, nearly blotting out the disturbing image of a naked monkey's cackling face.

Metal flashed by, perilously close to his nose, and then the monkey was gone. Severance lay in a daze. He thought he could smell the sharp scent of blood.

A tall, black and red shape loomed over him. "You alright?"

Severance blinked, his vision gradually clearing. He stared up at Valentin, then wordlessly lifted a hand.

Valentin immediately leaned down, grabbed it, and hauled Severance to his feet. The knightglaive looked him up and down, the corners of his lips tugging into the faintest hints of a frown.

"Heal yourself."

The quiet, toneless way it was delivered sounded harsh, and it made Severance's stomach twist in an ugly way. He moved back, jaw clenching, and dropped his gaze to look for his war fans.

They hadn't fallen very far away, so he hastily grabbed them. That had been far too close. If Valentin hadn't saved him, that monkey would have killed him. And if he fell, then his team wouldn't last very long.

He could feel the weight on his shoulders, the responsibility of his role, and he swallowed hard. He had to be better.

"Mend," he muttered, casting the skill on himself. It didn't bring him to full, but he was now in the green zone, and that was enough. A glance at the party list let him know that he had a choice: heal Ironhide or Awesome Dude. Both were dangerously low now.

He looked at where Ironhide stood in a narrow passageway that slanted upwards like an inclined mine shaft. It even had the rails, but these ones hummed with energy. A heavy metal orb about the size of a car spun on these rails, kicking up sparks and sounding like a shrieking freight train.